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All JD applicants, regardless of the category(s) under which they apply, are required to provide a valid score for the . The LSAT is a standardized test built to assess key skills that contribute to success in law school. The test is overseen by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC). The LSAT is administered several times a year, both online and in person, across Canada and around the world.

All JD applicants are required to complete and submit by the January 10 deadline. There are no exceptions or extensions offered for those who miss this deadline.

Before submitting your application, please ensure:

• You list your referees and all post-secondary institutions that you have attended, including dates, as your letters of reference and transcripts will be sent directly to the law school.
• You upload your resume/CV and personal statement to your application.

Please note: While these documents may be updated after the online form is submitted, initial documents should be complete and ready for consideration.

Once the online application form has been submitted, you will be prompted to pay the $70CDN application fee.

This non-refundable fee must accompany each application for it to be considered complete and for processing to begin. Applications will not be reviewed until the payment has been received. There is no fee waiver available for this application fee.

Please note: Application fees paid after the grace period ends on February 1 will not be accepted, and the corresponding application will not be considered for admission.

In addition to submitting the online application form and fee, we require your application package to be complete before we can begin assessment.

Please note: It is your responsibility, as the applicant, to ensure that all materials relevant to your application have been received and are reflected on the online application portal by the deadlines.

Once submitted, check the status of your application and the receipt of your supporting application documents in the application portal. The system is updated as documents are received.

Please allow a minimum of one (1) week after the online application form has been submitted, and the application fee paid, for your checklist to reflect all received documents. It may also take a minimum of one (1) week for receipt of application documents to be processed by the university and reflected online.

Please ensure your contact information is accurate, as notifications about admissions decisions are sent via email to the address provided when creating your portal account. Decisions are also viewable in the application portal.  If your contact details change during the cycle you can update it on the portal.

Every year, we award over $2 million to our students in entrance scholarships, bursaries and scholarships and academic awards, and we strongly encourage all applicants to apply for funding.

Learn more about JD entrance scholarships.

Learn more about the bursaries and scholarships available to current students.

Learn more about Schulich Law’s Tuition & Fees.

Please note: tuition and fees for the JD program are set in the spring for the upcoming academic year.

How Do I Submit My Score(s)?

You do not need to submit your LSAT score(s) to us. On the online application form, we ask for your LSAC account number. With this, we are able to retrieve the information automatically from LSAC. This includes new/updated test results should you decide to write the LSAT after submitting your initial application documents.

Please note: LSAT scores are the only applicant information we are able to obtain from LSAC.

How Does Schulich Consider LSAT Scores?

While we have access to all of your available LSAT scores, we will only use the highest in your academic assessment, alongside your GPA.

Please note the following policies:

• LSATs written after January 31 will not be considered for admission commencing in September of the same year.
• We only consider LSATs written within five years of your application.

How Do I Prepare for the LSAT?

The Schulich School of Law does not endorse any specific preparation method for the LSAT, nor is there any recommended amount of time required to prepare. There are many prep resources available, including books, tutors, online and in-person courses and practice tests. We recommend you research the various options to find one that works best for you.

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You are required to provide one (1) official transcript, issued directly from the institution, for all post-secondary institutions that you have attended, including:

• Colleges for diplomas or programs not included in an academic assessment
• Graduate programs
• Colleges and institutions attended for an exchange program
• Transfer credit or letter of permission from your home institution, regardless of whether the grades appear on the transcript of your home institution.

Please note that if you do not provide transcripts for all institutions, or do not accurately disclose all institutions you attended, the Admissions Committee will not consider your application.

How Does the Schulich School of Law Use My Transcripts?

We use your transcripts in the holistic assessment of your application, reviewing the grades and academic trends over your academic career.

We also utilize GPA calculations in our academic assessment. When considering your GPA, we calculate both a cumulative average (over all applicable years and institutions) and an average of your most recent two years’ worth of relevant grades. While we see both averages, only the highest is used in your academic assessment.

Only degree-granting institutions recognized by ҹɫÊÓƵ’s Senate qualify for GPA assessment.

How Do I Submit My Transcripts?

We require official transcripts to be sent directly from the issuing institution(s). Unofficial documents will not be accepted as placeholders.

ҹɫÊÓƵ/King’s College

ҹɫÊÓƵ and King’s College transcripts will be attached to an application automatically by the ҹɫÊÓƵ Registrar’s Office. No further action is required on the part of the applicant.

Canadian/North American Institutions

• For Canadian institutions, and those within North America, official transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing institution. We accept official hard copy or electronic transcripts from the issuing institution, or the electronic transcript service approved by the issuing institution (i.e. MyCreds, Parchment).
• Electronic transcripts can be sent to admissions.documents@dal.ca.
• Official transcripts received by mail, courier or fax by the Schulich School of Law’s Admissions Office will be accepted and attached to your application; however, there may be a delay in processing these documents.

Institutions Outside North America (for a degree)

• If you attended an institution from outside of North America for your degree, we require your transcripts to be submitted via the World Education Service (WES) at .
• WES is a service that will translate your transcript’s grades into a North American grading scheme and ensure that the institution meets our criteria for a recognized, degree-granting institution.
• Unless your transcript is provided via this service, we are unable to perform an academic assessment, and unless you are applying as a Work/Life Experience candidate, we will be unable to review your file for admission.
• Please note that WES.org has multiple services and the "course-by-course evaluation" is required to translate the courses and their marks from a transcript into a North American grading scheme.

Exchange/Other Transcripts

• If you completed an international exchange as part of your Canadian or United States degree program, you must disclose that information and submit official transcripts for all courses taken and institutions you have attended. Where an exchange is typically for only one semester, and there is a cost to using WES’s services, how we use these transcripts and assess the grades is left up to you. If you want us to use the grades from your exchange in our GPA calculations, and if your exchange grades appear on your home institution’s transcripts as pass/fail or credit/no-credit, you will need to submit your official exchange transcripts via as stated in the above section.
• If your exchange marks appear on your home institution’s transcript as grades, we will be able to use them in your GPA assessment as is. We will still require an official transcript from the exchange institution. If you wish for the grades from your exchange to only be used in the holistic assessment, the international institution may send the official transcript directly to us, as with any other transcript.

You are required to provide two (2) references/letters of recommendation in support of your application.

Applicants Currently in University/College or Recently Graduated

• If you are currently attending an academic institution or attended one within two (2) years of when you apply, you are expected to provide at least one (1) academic reference. An academic reference is from someone who knows your academic performance (i.e. a professor, TA, or academic advisor) and will speak highly of your skill sets in this environment.
• While your second reference can also be academic, this is not a requirement. We leave it to the applicant to decide the best source of this second recommendation. If you are unsure if you should submit a second academic recommendation or obtain a non-academic reference, check out this section of our video breaking down the application process for some additional insight.
• If you cannot secure a required academic reference, we will accept two (2) non-academic references instead. However, you are required to provide a reason via the application or email as to why the committee will not be provided with the required academic reference.

Applicants Who Haven’t Been in School for Over Two (2) Years

• If you have not attended an academic institution within the last two (2) years of when you apply, both references can be non-academic in nature (i.e. professional, volunteer, mentor, etc.).
• Non-academic references are those familiar with your non-academic contributions and achievements and can speak highly to those strengths gained in that environment.
• We will not accept references from family/personal friends.

How Do I Submit My References?

• Letters of recommendation are one of the documents submitted on your behalf, and must be received directly from the referee, via the application platform’s e-reference system.
• When completing your online application, you will be prompted to provide the contact information for your referees, including a professional email address. Once your referee information has been added to your application, the system will send them an e-reference request. Referees will be asked to complete a web form with the option to attach a reference letter. Any provided letter should be on professional letterhead.

Things to Note:

• For any reason, if your referee is unable to use the e-reference system, you should reach out to the JD admissions office to discuss alternative submission options.
• You may update listed referees after an application is submitted via the portal’s application status page.
• We only ask for two (2) letters of reference. If you input information for more than two referees, we will only consider the first two references received.
• While references are submitted by the referee, it is still your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that your references are submitted by the deadline.

All applicants are required to submit a detailed resume (or CV) highlighting their work, volunteer and community involvement.

How Do I Submit My Resume/CV?

Resumes/CVs must be attached to your online application prior to submission. While you are able to update your resume after your application has been submitted, it is important to be aware that we are able to see all versions of that document you have included.

Please note that if you are selected for an interview, you will be asked to submit an updated resume at that time.

How Should I Format My Resume/CV?

If you do not have a pre-existing resume/CV and are unsure how to format it, there are several options available through ҹɫÊÓƵ’s career webpage that can provide templates and formatting assistance.

As part of the JD application, applicants are required to submit a personal statement. The Personal Statement has taken on a new format. Instead of uploading a free-form statement, you will be required to answer a series of three (3) required questions and one (1) optional question.

What is the Purpose of the Personal Statement?

The purpose of the personal statement is to offer the admissions committee insight into your motivations, aspirations, background, and self - to get to know you, and to make an informed decision on your application. 

This is your opportunity to share your perspective and highlight information that is unique to you. There are no right or wrong answers; what matters is the authenticity of your responses - that they are honest, thoughtful and in your own voice.

How To Complete the Personal Statement?

The application includes space to insert your responses to each question. You will not be required to upload a separate personal statement document. You must complete the personal statement questions before submitting your application.

Please note that you will be unable to update your answers once your application has been submitted.

What are the Personal Statement Required Questions?

In what ways does pursuing a legal education support the future you envision for yourself? (Max. 400 words)

What kind of impact do you hope to have as a legal professional, on the lives of others and/or the communities you serve? (Max. 400 words)

Think about a recent book, article, or blog post you read. Did you like or dislike it and why? (Max. 250 words)

There is a space on the online application to include any context that may be helpful in the understanding of the Admissions Committee in their decision-making process. This may include external factors affecting your academic performance, or additional insight about another aspect of your application.

Medical documents may be used in support of a diagnosis or underlying condition that may have affected your academic performance or life experiences. We welcome the submission of contemporary or current documentation that may be useful in our understanding of your unique circumstances. These include (but are not limited to):

• Having a medical professional complete a or provide a statement on their official letterhead.
• University or LSAC accommodation letters.
• Medical assessments from the time of an incident/diagnosis.

Because the LSAT has a built-in English comprehension component, JD Admissions does not require international applicants to take any other English language test.